ISTANBUL
Japan on Thursday urged for diplomacy to bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East after US President Donald Trump's threat of hitting Iran “extremely hard.”
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a news conference that Tokyo will "persist with diplomatic efforts with the international community to de-escalate the situation quickly."
The government spokesman expressed his hopes that the talks to end the conflict between the US and Iran will "move in a positive direction," according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.
Trump said Wednesday that the US is “nearing completion” of its military objectives in Iran but warned that "We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong."
Regional tensions have escalated since Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran that has killed more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.
A total of 13 US service members have been killed, and about 303 others have been injured since the war began.